This is the most valuable fitness book I have ever read. Not only does Mark tell you how to start with strength training he will always explain the why right along with it. He will never say to do something without explaining why. Not only does he give you a "why", its a "why" that is backed up by a lot of experience with training people to get stronger. Even more, it is backed up with logical conclusions based off of anatomy. This straight-forward approach is what I was looking for to bring my lifting to the next level. A lot of the how and why described in this book helped me tweak my lifts to be stronger AND safer. I cannot thank Mark enough for putting out such an excellent book. I will be referencing this book for the rest of my life. I am looking forward to buying the next book for strength programming. I have included a photo of the book that includes dimensions. This is the PAPER BACK version. Pros: *Excellent explanation of HOW to do lifts *Explanation of WHY he teaches the lifts the way he does *Great starter strength programming that is useful for any lifter. *Prevents injury Cons: *None Additional Considerations: Look into getting the second book if you would like more strength programs to make yourself stronger. Another thing, Mark has a ton of great youtube videos out that goes over the various lifts and other things. Those along with the book make it very easy to self correct and get better at lifting. I cannot recommend them enough. Overall: 5/5 stars (>=.5 rounds up, <.5 rounds down) => 5 stars If you have any further questions regarding the product in my review please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

I bought this book while I was working at a summer camp in America. I actually took John Berardi's 'Scrawny to Brawny' with me with the intention of reading it and then follow the workout once I returned back home in England. Once I had finished it, I decided that I wanted some more information on the lifts. I'm the kind of guy who likes to know the theory and techniques involved before getting down to business. If you are like me then this book is definitely for you! Mark Rippetoe does an outstanding job with this book. He has written it in such a way that each compound lift - that he feels is necessary in achieving optimal strength gains - has its own chapter. In these chapters he goes over what the lift is, which variations are popular and which he feels is the best one and why. The why part is particularly interesting as it delves into Biomechanics and demonstrates, through brilliant diagrams and illustrations, the reasoning behind his options. The chapters also cover common mistakes to look out for and then a basic program to follow initially. In my opinion, the chapters are clear and concise and are very well written. Mark injects quite alot of humour into the book and you find that there are areas of the book where you feel as though he's actually coaching you in person. Each lift is broken down into compartments which makes every one much easier to understand and follow. He plays close attention to detail and it is these details, I believe, that are the most valuable. There is only so much you can learn from watching and studying successful lifters on the likes of YouTube, for the rest I would advise you buy this book. The following chapters cover useful assistance excercises and programming. These chapters are useful but I feel it is the chapters on each individual lift that truly makes this book standout. The only downside, if you would call it that, is the section on nutrition. Nutrition is a very important part of weight training regardless whether you are looking to put size on or just increase your strength. The section gets the point across but I feel it is very basic and somewhat outdated. I feel it will leave anyone who is completely new to the idea of nutrition feeling a little underwhelmed and searching for more information on the matter. This was not really an issue for myself as I was fortunate in the sense that I also had 'Scrawny to Brawny'. John Berardi is well known for his knowledge on sports nutrition and has a huge chunk of the book dedicated to the nutritional aspect of weight training. I believe it is worth buying for this reason alone and would be a good accompaniment for anyone who found themselves in this particular predicament. Before buying this book I had researched it on the Internet and all of the reviews I had read were very positive. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed. This book is ideal for its intended purpose and I would definitely recommend it.

I have been trying to learn how to exercise since I first lost the weight (more than 10 years ago now). I say "trying" because I have lost many, many hours of my life reading "expert" opinions and trying the latest "Muscle and Fitness" workout routine that "guarantees" success. I wish I had found Mark Rippetoe's book years ago. You don't need to read any further; this is well worth the money. My copy has pages flagged, and, for a few months until I was sure I learned the moves, it was with my during my workouts. This will teach you to use a barbell properly and, therefore, get stronger. Mr. Rippetoe will teach how to workout with barbell. He will teach you how to do it properly. I have shelves full of books; all could be traded for this one reference. Yes, I mean it. There is no other reference on the market that even comes close. It is a reference book: detailed drawings and descriptions of even the smallest of details for the major barbell exercises (squat, deadlift, bench press, (overhead) press, power clean). Ripp also included other exercises (dips, deadlift variations, etc.) I appreciate the fact that this book includes the "why" along with the "how." I have books that teach the squat with one or two pictures; as another reviewer points out, the squat chapter is many pages of detail. Even with the science, Ripp's writing style is understandable and often humorous. When I first started using Ripp's program, I modified it slightly (using his other excellent book, Practical Programming), and did not include Power Cleans (since I don't have bumper plates that can be safely dropped on my garage floor). I have tried power cleans at lighter weights (that I don't need to drop); if you can, I recommend power cleans. Sometimes, I incorporate squat jumps into my program for some "power" work; however, I have no idea what Ripp would think of this. He would probably make fun of me, but, hey, I work with what I have. I had been squatting for years; well, I was not doing it right. I was humbled when I realized that my version of a squat was probably just a "half" squat. Also, I realize that the hundreds of pounds that I pushed on the sled (machine leg-press) DOES NOT translate into real squatting strength. I have to admit--squats suck. The machine is much easier. But, the value of the squat cannot be ignored. Even after about 10 years of lifting, I learned something for each lift. Staring at the ceiling, for example, during a bench press, or moving my head/hips forward to lock out the press. These little things make a difference. Everything I knew about the deadlift was probably wrong... It's all over the internet, so you don't need this, but just in case you are curious, here was my first overall plan (based on both Starting Strength and Practical Programming). Note that you squat with every workout, and you alternate the bench press and overhead press. I was deadlifting just once each week. Note that the plan includes squatting, pushing, and pulling each workout. This is not the exact plan as laid out in the book (I altered the pulling exercise layout and removed back extensions): Day 1 Squat Press Chins Day 2 Squat Bench Deadlift Day 3 Squat Press Chins/Power Cleans Day 4 Squat Bench Chins Day 5 Squat Press Deadlift Day 6 Squat Bench Chins/Cleans For example, each time you succeed with your required reps (say, squat 100 lbs. for 3 sets of 5 reps), you increase your weight. Next workout, you would try 105. If you start properly (i.e., LIGHT), you can progress for a while. Sets and reps are usually 3 x 5, but the deadlift was 1 work-set x 5. (You do warmup sets, too). Don't let this simple layout fool you; you will get stronger. Squats are full-body exercises! At this point, I am no longer on this plan--not because it was not working, but because, obviously, at a certain point you can't continue to make 5-pound gains each workout. I am not 18 anymore, and my body just could not try for a Personal Record with each and every workout. I can't say enough about my improvements while on this plan for a few months. Also, I walk, run occasionally, and try to keep up with the young kids during soccer games/practices, so I noticed that I was not recovering (i.e., unable to progress) from the frequent squatting. Ripp does not recommend "cardio" training; he justifies this position with pages of science and life experience as a trainer. After starting with this program, you can consider the "intermediate" plans in Practical Programming (Google "Texas Method" for an example), or try something like Jim Wendler's 5-3-1. I am currently using 5-3-1 because, for me, this program allows for more recovery. Also, I like the fact that Wendler's program is not always working at your max weight (and instead uses a lighter weight with a higher rep-goal). By the way, Wendler (I believe, I don't know him personally), recommends Ripp's program to get started. Honestly, other fitness authors should be embarrassed to sell their works on the same shelf with Ripp's books.